I attended the OCA study day at the Photographer's Gallery recently. I must admit I was expecting to see more of the same with regard to Gregory Credson's work. I was pleasantly surprised. I think most photography students become familiar with his Twilight series early on in their studies and then move onto other interests as they progress. The Cathedral of the Pines is more subtle than his previous work. Maybe it is the reduced colour palette or the all encompassing mist that seems to pervade most of the outdoor scenes. Most of the images are of interiors, a solitary figure pauses to contemplate, their gaze turned inwards. Through windows or doorways the landscape is partly visible and the mist is laden with meaning.
I found it interesting during the post student discussion at the pub how many students had attached different readings to the ambiguous expressions of the subjects. Ironic that in most of the images a half empty glass sat on side tables or in a corner. For a glass half-empty person like myself (I hate to admit that!) I read, sorrow, anxiety, trepidation, longing, on the looks of the characters. Because of this reading I saw the mist as forbidding and ominous. That even if the characters were to step outside their oppressive houses there would be nowhere to escape to. So I was quite surprised when our tutor, Jayne, said that she read the mist as hopeful. That the characters were at a turning point and I assume she saw that turning point as a moment in which the character moved forward in a positive way.
I enjoyed seeing the large scale of the images and that the series was all in one place across four floors. I was pleasantly surprised to re-engage with Gregory Crewdson's work.
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